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Coca-Cola’s 4Q15 Operating Margin Rose on Productivity Measures
Coca-Cola’s operating margin improved significantly to 15.2% in 4Q15 from 13.3% in the comparable quarter of the previous year.

Analyzing National Oilwell Varco’s Net Debt after 1Q17
National Oilwell Varco’s (NOV) net debt increased 4% in 1Q17 over 1Q16. Its net debt amounted to ~$1.7 billion in 1Q17.

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals: Developing Therapies for Hereditary ATTR Amyloidosis
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) is currently developing three investigational therapies—Patisiran, Revusiran, and ALN-TTRsc02—for the treatment of patients with hereditary ATTR amyloidosis.

Why Ready-to-Drink Coffee Is Gaining Popularity with US Consumers
Coffee lovers in the United States are boosting ready-to-drink coffee volumes.

AbbVie Hopes to Commercialize Next-Generation HCV Regimen by 2017
AbbVie (ABBV) plans to complete its Phase 3 registrational program for investigational next-generation Hepatitis C virus (or HCV) therapy by 2016.

Can PepsiCo’s Valuation See Some Upward Revision in 2016?
As of January 28, 2016, PepsiCo (PEP) was trading at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 20.6x.

Analyzing National Oilwell Varco’s Debt—A 2% Year-over-Year Fall
National Oilwell Varco’s (NOV) total debt decreased ~18% in 4Q16 over 4Q15. Its cash and marketable securities decreased 31% during the same period.

What Will Be a Key Driver of Biogen’s Future Valuations?
Biogen’s investigational Alzheimer’s disease drug, aducanumab, is one of the four therapies accepted in the EMA’s Priority Medicines program (or PRIME).

What’s Schlumberger’s Net Debt after 1Q17?
Schlumberger’s (SLB) net debt rose 65% in 1Q17—compared to 1Q16. Its net debt was ~$11.7 billion in 1Q17.

Inside Baker Hughes’s Growth Drivers in 2Q17
Baker Hughes’s (BHGE) North America segment saw 16.5% higher revenues from 2Q16 to 2Q17.

Under Armour: The ARMOURY and Its Wholesale Strategic Importance
The ARMOURY stores will cater to the premium segment of the market. They’ll also feature UA product exclusives and occasional visits from star athletes.

Sprint’s Positioning in the US Wireless Space
Sprint’s chief financial officer Tarek Robbiati discussed this second reason for the company’s 50% discount promotion.

The Lowe’s-Rona Transaction: Sizing Up the Potential Synergies
Lowe’s (LOW) expects the Rona (RON.TO) transaction to be accretive to its earnings per share or EPS from the very first year after the acquisition.

Weak Sales: Specific to Macy’s or Other Department Stores, Too?
Macy’s (M) has missed consensus Wall Street sales estimates in each of the first three quarters of fiscal 2015, which will end January 30, 2016.

Wireless Service and Equipment Revenues Decline for Sprint
Sprint’s revenues also declined 3% on a quarter-over-quarter basis by $255 million due to lower revenues in the equipment and wireless revenue segments.

VF Corporation’s 1Q15 Margins Are Expected to Improve
VF Corporation (VFC) expects margins to improve in 2015, coming in at 49.3% compared to 48.8% in 2014. Margins have been expanding over the past few quarters.

Soros Fund Management’s Top Buys in the Fourth Quarter
George Soros added 2.026 million shares of the SPDR Select Sector Fund (XLF) to its portfolio during the fourth quarter, giving it a weight of 1.5% in the portfolio.

Tesla’s Q4 Deliveries and Production Data: What to Expect
Tesla (TSLA) has been one of the handful of positive-return-yielding stocks in the fourth quarter so far.

Elon Musk Lists Rival Electric Vehicles on Twitter—NIO, GM, Ford
Before Tesla, many automakers launched limited-production electric models only to discontinue them soon after.

What Wall Street Says about Weatherford International
On December 26, 2017, 78% of the Wall Street analysts tracking Weatherford International rated it a “buy” or some equivalent.

Wall Street’s Call on Weatherford International
In this article, we’ll look Wall Street’s call and target price for Weatherford International (WFT) on September 12.

National Oilwell Varco’s Outlook for 3Q17
Does National Oilwell management see a recovery in 2017? National Oilwell Varco (NOV) management identified strong US onshore activity and weak offshore energy exploration and production activity as the drivers behind its changing revenue mix in 2Q17. In the company’s 2Q17 conference call, chairman and CEO Clay C. Williams stated that “much of our business […]

Why Was Baker Hughes’s Free Cash Flow Negative in 2Q17?
Baker Hughes’s (BHGE) CFO (cash from operating activities) remained negative in 2Q17, continuing its negative cash flow trend in 1Q17.

What Are NOV’s Challenges and Opportunities in 2Q17?
National Oilwell Varco’s (NOV) management expressed concern over upstream energy companies’ lower capex spending, which is negative for the oilfield services companies.

What’s Wall Street’s Take on Weatherford as of June 7?
In this article, we’ll look Wall Street analysts’ recommendations for Weatherford International (WFT) as of June 7, 2017.

BSX’s Resonate ICD and CRT-D Defibrillators Get US Approval
On May 9, 2017, Boston Scientific (BSX) announced the FDA approval of its Resonate family of products, including its ICD and CRT-D systems.

Will National Oilwell Varco’s Returns Rise after 1Q17?
Let’s take a look at some of the projects that could affect National Oilwell Varco’s (NOV) returns going forward.

National Oilwell Varco’s Growth Prospects in 2017
National Oilwell Varco’s (NOV) management expects upstream activity in North America’s shale plays to improve in 2017.

Analysts’ Recommendations for Weatherford International
On March 1, ~71% of the analysts tracking Weatherford International rated it as a “buy,” ~20% rated it as a “hold,” and the rest rated it as a “sell.”

These Factors Could Improve AMAT’s Profitability in 2017
For fiscal 1Q17, AMAT expects its non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) gross margin to rise 43.8% from 43.7% in fiscal 4Q16.

Can AbbVie’s Anti-Tau Therapeutics Help Late-Stage Alzheimer’s Patients?
Unlike Biogen (BIIB) and Eli Lilly, who have focused their attention on amyloid-beta based therapeutics, AbbVie (ABBV) is reluctant to enter this field.

Clinical Trial Data Shows Efficacy of Elagolix to Treat Uterine Fibroids
Together, AbbVie (ABBV) and Neurocrine Biosciences (NBIX) aim to develop Elagolix as a minimally invasive yet effective therapy for uterine fibroids

Understanding Medtronic’s Weak CVG Segment Performance in Fiscal 2Q17
Of Medtronic’s ~$7.3 billion in worldwide revenues in fiscal 2Q17, ~$2.6 billion came from Medtronic’s CVG segment, representing ~35% of the company total.

AnacorAcquisition Added Crisaborole to Pfizer’s Portfolio
On June 24, 2016, Pfizer (PFE) announced that it had completed the acquisition of Anacor Pharmaceuticals for a total net value of $5.2 billion. The acquisition added crisaborole.

What’s National Oilwell Varco’s Historical Valuation?
On September 30, 2016, National Oilwell Varco’s (NOV) share price was 10% higher compared to December 31, 2015.

National Oilwell Varco’s Growth Prospects in 4Q16 and 2017
National Oilwell Varco’s (NOV) management expects most of the upstream recovery in North America to take place in 2H17.

Is National Oilwell Varco’s Net Debt Falling?
National Oilwell Varco’s (NOV) net debt (total debt less cash & marketable securities) fell 20% in 3Q15.

How Do Amgen’s Valuation Multiples Compare to Its Peers’?
Since January 2015, Amgen has traded at a premium to Gilead Sciences (GILD) but at a significant discount to peers Biogen (BIIB) and Celgene (CELG).

Bill Gross: Monetary Policy on Steady but Slow Path
After the release of the FOMC’s November statement, Bill Gross said that monetary policy in the United States is steadily moving toward normalization, though its pace is slow.

Talazoparib and Pidilizumab May Prove Complementary to Pfizer’s Existing Oncology Drugs
Medivation has added its robust research pipeline with two promising investigational drugs, Talazoparib and Pidilizumab, to Pfizer’s oncology portfolio.

New Data Affirm Benefits of Medtronic’s Valiant Captivia
On September 20, 2016, Medtronic posted its new safety and efficacy data for its Valiant Captivia Thoracic Stent Graft System.

How Late-Stage Asset Rova-T Could Become a Leading Therapy
AbbVie (ABBV) expects to file a biologics license application for Rova-T as a third-line therapy for small cell lung cancer (or SCLC) in 2017.

Did the Brexit Vote Impact TJX’s International Sales in Fiscal 2Q17?
TJX Companies anticipates its TJX Canada segment to deliver same-store sales growth of 7%–8% in fiscal 2017 and sales of $3.1 billion–$3.2 billion.

Gilead’s Profit Margin Squeezed by Drop in Hepatitis C Drug Sales
Gilead Sciences reported diluted earnings per share (or EPS) of about $3.08 in 2Q16, which is a year-over-year (or YoY) decline of 2.2%.

How Does APD Compare to Its Peers ahead of Fiscal 3Q16?
As of July 22, 2016, Air Products and Chemicals (APD) was trading at a one-year forward PE multiple of 18.8x compared to its peers Praxair and FMC.

Why Even a Good Jobs Report Couldn’t Cause Yields to Rise
We could see fewer jobs added going forward. If this trend continues, bond (AGG) (BND) yields could most likely stay low.

How Central Banks ‘Create’ Inflation
A QE program doesn’t just create inflation; it causes asset prices to rise as well. After the financial crisis of 2008, the Fed resorted to an ultra-accommodative monetary policy.

How Did JNJ’s Medical Devices Business Fare in 2Q16?
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) registered sales of approximately $6.4 billion in its Medical Devices business in 2Q16.

Beauty Companies Saw Mixed Inventory Levels in 1Q16
Estée Lauder (EL) ended calendar 1Q16 with a 3.5% rise in inventory.

JNJ Is Restructuring Its Medical Devices Business: What of 2Q16?
A robust pipeline and strong R&D (research and development) capabilities are expected to drive significant revenue growth for JNJ’s Medical Devices segment.

Will Restructuring Push Micron Back to Profitability?
As part of its restructuring initiative, Micron would only focus on critical projects and cut 2,400 jobs.

Can Amazon’s Re-Entry in the Smartphone Arena Pay Off?
Amazon (AMZN), in order to keep its Prime membership popular, is offering two unlocked Android smartphones exclusively priced for Prime members.

Which Gaming Franchises Are Expected to Drive Revenues for TTWO?
Take-Two Interactive Software’s (TTWO) most successful franchise, Grand Theft Auto (or GTA), has sold over 235 million units worldwide.

What Drives Medtronic’s Restorative Therapies Group’s Growth?
Medtronic’s (MDT) Restorative Therapies Group (or RTG) segment, formed around seven years ago, has a strong market position today.

Why AbbVie Expects PTK7 to Enhance Its Oncology Capabilities
Now in its phase-1 clinical trial, AbbVie’s PF-06647020, an ADC targeting protein kinase 7 could become a major therapy for advanced solid tumors.

What Is the Strategy behind Cypress-Broadcom’s All-Cash Deal?
During Cypress’s fiscal 1Q16 earnings call, CEO Thurman John Rodgers explained that Broadcom offloaded the wireless IoT segment for two reasons.

What Is Analog Devices’ Acquisition Strategy?
Analog Devices (ADI) has been using M&A (mergers and acquisitions) to rapidly expand its technology offerings and boost its revenue.

Inside Xilinx’s Lead over Altera in the 20- and 16-Nanometer Markets
As Xilinx increases its share in the PLD market, a key will be its success in the long term is its competitive positioning compared to rival Altera.

Automotive: The Next Big Thing for Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments (TXN) has increased its exposure in the automotive, industrial, and communications segments, which accounted for 64% of the company’s revenue in fiscal 1Q16.

Understanding Boston Scientific’s MedSurg Segment
Boston Scientific’s (BSX) MedSurg segment contributes around 33% to the company’s total revenues and is the company’s second-largest segment.

Celgene Continues to Develop New Multiple Myeloma Drugs
Celgene has been working on its immunomodulatory backbone drugs to develop combination therapies for use in treating all lines of multiple myeloma.

Behind OptumHealth’s and OptumInsight’s Strong Revenue Growth in 1Q16
UnitedHealth Group’s healthcare delivery business, OptumHealth, managed to earn $4 billion revenues in 1Q16, which represents a YoY growth of about 22%.

Understanding Intel’s Strong Margins amid Slow Revenue Growth
In fiscal 1Q16, Intel’s non-GAAP revenues rose by 8% YoY to $13.8 billion, missing the analyst estimate of $13.83 billion, which was a conservative one.

What Could Impact the Success of AMD’s Zen Core the Most?
With Zen, AMD looks poised to regain some share in the server and PC processor market. The question that remains is twofold: how much, and for how long?

Marlboro: The Star in Philip Morris’s Portfolio of Brands
Generally recognized as the world’s best-selling international cigarette, Marlboro accounted for 33.7% of the company’s total shipment volume in 2015.

Still Beverages: A Key Focus for Nonalcoholic Beverage Companies
Still beverage volumes gained strength in 4Q15 as consumers continued to shift from sugary soda beverages to healthier options.

Innovations in Immunology Segment Could Boost AbbVie’s Valuations
AbbVie (ABBV) has been actively expanding Humira’s label and expects to earn annual revenues worth $18 billion from the sales of the drug in 2020.

Why Warren Buffett Strongly Believes in the American Dream
Buffett said that it has been a terrible mistake to bet against America, not only for the past 240 years but even now. He believes that America’s emphasis on innovation and strength in commerce will continue to provide strong gains for its people.

Why PepsiCo’s Productivity Measures Helped Its 4Q15 Margins
PepsiCo (PEP) reported a gross margin of 54.9% in 4Q15, which ended December 26, 2015, up from 53.1% in the comparable quarter of the previous year.

AT&T: Postpaid Churn Expected to Decrease Year-Over-Year in 4Q15
According to Wall Street analyst consensus, AT&T’s postpaid churn is expected to decline YoY (year-over-year) in 4Q15

Can Nordstrom’s Rack Business Get Its Mojo Back?
Nordstrom (JWN) has aggressively expanded into the off-price space through its Nordstrom Rack stores.

Monster Beverage Increases Its Advertising Efforts
Monster Beverage enjoys huge popularity on social media. It has 24 million fans on Facebook (FB), 2.8 million fans on Twitter (TWTR), and 2.6 million fans on Instagram.

Which IBM Partnerships and Acquisitions Have Boosted Watson?
Apart from acquisitions to further push the chances of Watson Health’s success in the healthcare space, IBM has partnered with Apple (AAPL), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), and Medtronic (MDT).

Better Choice: PepsiCo to Launch Organic Gatorade in 2016
At the Beverage Digest Future Smarts Conference on December 14, PepsiCo announced its plan to launch an organic version of Gatorade, its sports drink brand.

GoPro Continues to Trade below Its IPO Level
In 2014, GoPro came out as one of the fastest growing companies. Its price rose more than 100%. Investors drove the price to $93.0 in September 2014.

How Coca-Cola Is Creating an Asset-Light Model by Refranchising
Coca-Cola began refranchising to reduce its exposure to low-margin, capital-intensive bottling operations, creating a more asset-light model.

Do Preferred Stocks Underperform When Rates Rise?
Unlike common equities (RSP)(IWB), a rising interest rate scenario doesn’t necessarily affect preferred stocks negatively.

Nike Enters Strategic Partnerships to Drive Innovation
At its 2015 Investor Day held on October 14, Nike’s (NKE) CEO, Mark Parker, announced a new innovation hub, called the Nike Advanced Product Creation Center.

Verizon Will Not Buy Dish Network
Dish Network has a significant proportion of mid-band, AWS (advanced wireless services) spectrum holdings. However, Verizon won’t buy the company.

Sprint’s $1 Monthly Option for the iPhone Forever Plan
On September 25, 2015, Sprint launched a low-price promotional offer with a trade-in option for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

Hum, Verizon’s New Aftermarket Vehicle Connection
Hum’s features include diagnostic automobile service, roadside assistance, and voice support. It’s priced at $14.99 per month for the first vehicle.

Verizon on 5G and the Growth of the Internet of Things
According to Verizon, it had more than 15 million connections of IoT, or Internet of Things, in 2014.

Major US Department Stores Struggle to Attract Consumers in 1H15
The US Census Bureau’s latest report revealed a 0.8% decline in July US department store sales, compared to June 2015. Sales showed YoY declines of 2.7%.

Sprint’s Churn Rate Improves in 1Q15
Sprint’s churn rate of postpaid customers declined from ~2.05% in 1Q14 to ~1.56% in 1Q15. Better network performance was a key factor.

AT&T’s DIRECTV Merger and New Cost Synergies
By 2018, AT&T expects multiple cost synergies from the DIRECTV merger in its supply chain, operations and general administration, and content acquisition.

Verizon Maintains Internet of Things Is a Growth Driver
Although IoT and Telematics is a growing segment at Verizon, it’s still small in terms of revenue. In 2014, Verizon’s IoT and Telematics revenue was ~$585 million.

T-Mobile’s Postpaid Customers Contributed More per Unit in 2Q15
T-Mobile’s average revenue per user in 2Q15 In the earlier parts of this series, we learned about T-Mobile’s (TMUS) significant revenue growth in 2Q15. Revenue increased by ~13.8% YoY (year-over-year) to ~$8.2 billion during the quarter. We learned that this solid growth was driven by both service and equipment revenue. We also learned about how robustly the carrier’s […]

Capital Expenditure Increases in 1Q15 for Sprint Corporation
Sprint’s free cash flow for 1Q15 was -$2.2 billion, compared to -$496 million in 1Q14. Cash flow decreased YoY due to unfavorable changes in working capital coupled with high capex.

Operating Expenses Decrease for Sprint Corporation in 1Q15
Sprint’s cost of products for 1Q15 declined $793 million YoY to $1.4 billion due to lower non-lease sales volumes. This occurred because customer preferences shifted toward device leasing options.

T-Mobile’s Service Revenue Kept On Growing in 2Q15
T-Mobile’s service revenue increased by ~12% YoY to reach ~$6.1 billion in 2Q15. The postpaid and prepaid segments continued to fuel service revenue growth during the quarter.

Retail Sales Increase 16% YoY for Sprint Corporation
In 1Q15, retail sales for Sprint were 7.3 million compared to 6.3 million in 1Q14 and 7.9 million in 4Q14.

Verizon’s Edge Plan: Popularity Rose Significantly in 2Q15
The growth in equipment revenue was driven by the rising adoption of Verizon’s Edge plan. The plan’s popularity continued to grow during 2Q15.

Cost Synergies from AT&T–DIRECTV Merger Are Adding Up
The AT&T–DIRECTV merger agreement was signed in May 2014. At the time, the companies believed the transaction could produce ~$1.6 billion in annual cost synergies.

A Structural Analysis of PanAgora and Renaissance Technologies
PanAgora and Renaissance Technologies are both investment management firms that use a quantitative-based investment approach.

Major Factors Driving CVS’s Retail Pharmacy Segment Growth
CVS Health (CVS) expects Retail Pharmacy sales growth between 0.5% and 2% year-over-year in 2Q15. Total same-store sales are expected to be in the range of -1.25% to 0.25%.

T-Mobile’s Average Billings per User Expected to Increase in 2Q15
T-Mobile’s average billings per user (or ABPU) is a measure of postpaid subscribers’ unit contributions. We expect the growth trend in T-Mobile’s ABPU to continue in 2Q15.

T-Mobile 10GB Family Plan Launched July 15
Recently, T-Mobile started a 10GB plan for families. The T-Mobile 10GB family plan for four lines costs less than a similar Verizon More Everything plan, according to T-Mobile.

Under Armour’s Direct-to-Consumer Channels See a Traffic Surge
Under Armour (UA) reported a 33% year-over-year increase in direct-to-consumer (or DTC) sales in 2Q15.

Sprint’s Wireless Revenue Expected to Drop in 1Q15
As of July 24, 2015, Wall Street expects an average 4.3% year-over-year fall in Sprint’s wireless revenue in 1Q15. This is probably due to the company’s declining service revenue.

T-Mobile Deal: Why Dish Wants to Merge with a Wireless Carrier
The T-Mobile deal would give Dish the opportunity to gain from the growth of the fourth-largest US wireless carrier. Dish could use T-Mobile’s expertise to deploy its spectrum holdings.